Starch May Raise Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk, Study Finds

A new study suggests yet again that our diets could have an effect on our cancer risks.

The research, presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, shows that consumption of starchy foods is linked with an increased risk of low-grade breast cancer tumors coming back in women who have already had breast cancer before.

The study included 2,651 women with breast cancer who were Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Dietary Intervention Trial. Researchers followed up with the women every year for an average of seven years to see what they ate in the last 24 hours, as well as what their breast cancer recurrence status was.

At the beginning of the study, the women ate 233 grams of carbohydrates a day. The researchers found that the women whose cancer came back over the study period ate an average of 2.3 more grams per day of carbohydrates during the first year of the study, while women whose cancer did not come back ate an average of 2.7 fewer grams of carbohydrates per day over the first year.

However, starches accounted for a big part of this change in carbohydrate intake. In the first year of the study, researchers found that women who decreased their starch consumption the most had a breast cancer recurrence rate of 9.7 percent, while women who increased their starch consumption the most had a breast cancer recurrence rate of 14.2 percent.

"The results show that it's not just overall carbohydrates, but particularly starch," study researcher Jennifer A. Emond, M.S., a public health doctoral student at the University of California, San Diego, said in a statement. "Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring."

This certainly isn't the first study to suggest that what we eat could affect our breast cancer risk. A study published in November of last year in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that women who eat a veggie-rich diet, with less red meat, salt and processed carbs, have a lower risk of breast cancer.

And in another study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, British researchers found that cutting carbs twice a week could help women lose more weight than if they just adhered to a low-calorie diet. And because doing so would help control levels of insulin, a known cancer-promoting hormone, the study suggests that adhering to this kind of diet might have implications for lowering breast cancer risk, too.

Researchers at Texas A&M found that plums and peaches have antioxidant levels to rival "superfood" blueberries -- and that they contain two types of polyphenols (antioxidants) that may help kill breast cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact.
This is good news, as 180,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year and traditional treatments often harm healthy cells.

Research in the journal Nutrition and Cancer suggests walnuts may thwart the growth of breast cancer.
In a study out of Marshall University School of Medicine in West Virginia, researchers substituted the equivalent of two ounces of walnuts per day into the diet of one group of mice; the other group was fed a calorically equivalent, but walnut-free, diet.
After 34 days, the growth rate of tumors in the walnut eaters was half that of the mice who ate no walnuts. Experts think walnuts' anti-inflammatory properties—which could come from the omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid, phytosterols or antioxidants—may give them their tumor-fighting potential. One caveat: the study dose of two ounces supplies 370 calories.
Still, "walnuts can be part of a healthy diet that can reduce your risk for cancer," says lead researcher Elaine Hardman, Ph. D.

Sulforaphane -- a compound in broccoli -- reduced the number of breast cancer stem cells (which cause cancer spread and recurrence) in mice, according to research from the University of Michigan.
Eating broccoli may not deliver enough sulforaphane to achieve the same effect, but to get the most you can, eat your broccoli raw or briefly steam or stir-fry the green florets. (Boiling destroys some of the sulforaphane.)

Taking fish-oil supplements for at least 10 years can shrink your risk of ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer, according to a study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
It's thought that the omega-3 fats in fish oil reduce inflammation, which may contribute to breast cancer. But you can skip the supplement aisle, say the study's researchers, and eat about 8 ounces of oily fish (salmon, sardines, tuna) a week.

Another reason to reach for extra-virgin olive oil: when researchers in Barcelona gave rats with breast cancer a diet in which fat came predominantly from extra-virgin olive oil (versus corn oil), they found that the olive oil's antioxidants and oleic acid (a mono-unsaturated fat) quelled growth of malignant cells.
(Find out where olive oil ranks among the 2 best oils for cooking and 2 worst oils.)

University of Missouri scientists found that this herb can actually inhibit cancer-cell growth.
Animals that were given apigenin, a compound abundant in parsley (and in celery), boosted their resistance to developing cancerous tumors. Experts recommend adding a couple pinches of minced fresh parsley to your dishes daily.

Drinking about two 12-ounce coffees a day may lower your risk of an aggressive form of breast cancer, says a May 2011 study in Breast Cancer Research.
"One possibility is that coffee's antioxidants protect cells from damage that can lead to cancer," says study author Jingmei Li, Ph.D. More research is needed, so don't up your intake based on these findings just yet.
(If you already are a coffee drinker, here are 4 reasons to not quit your coffee "habit," and 4 cons to consider.)

According to a new report, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, upping your fiber intake may help lower your risk of breast cancer—and the more you eat, the more your risk decreases.
The researchers found that for every 10 grams of fiber a woman added to her daily diet, her risk of breast cancer decreased by 7 percent.
That's about a 1/2 to one cup of beans, depending on the variety. Other foods packed with fiber include barley, bulgur, lentils, peas, artichokes, dates and raspberries.